FAA Orders Safety Actions on Certain PW4000 Engines

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today
ordered operators of planes using certain models of the Pratt &
Whitney PW4000 jet engine to remove the engines before they
exceed time limits specified by the FAA.

The Airworthiness Directive (AD) published in today's Federal
Register limits the number of PW4000 engines with a certain
configuration of the high-pressure compressor section that can be
installed on affected aircraft. It also requires certain standards for
rebuilding the specified engines.

The number of affected engines on a particular plane is based on
complex criteria, spelled out in the AD, which include the type of
aircraft, how many engines it has, engine serial number and how
many start-stop cycles the engine has experienced. The AD,
which is effective on publication, is intended to reduce the risk of
power loss in one or more engines caused by surges in the
high-pressure compressor during takeoff or climb to cruising
altitude.

Today's order supercedes somewhat similar PW4000 ADs issued
by the FAA in October 2000 and April 2001. This most recent
directive was prompted by an incident on March 9, 2001, in which
an Air Sudan Airbus A300 lost power in both engines during takeoff
from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, the FAA reevaluated
the previous airworthiness directives and determined that further
action was needed to ensure that the affected engines can
operate safely during critical phases of flight.

The order affects approximately 500 engines used by
U.S.-registered Boeing 747s, 767s, MD-11s, and Airbus A300s and
A310s. Estimated cost to remove and replace these engines is
approximately $2 million. There are about 2,100 PW4000 engines
with this configuration in use worldwide.